“Why do you think he bites/screams/doesn’t play with toys/loves to grab my earrings/goes to my shoulder/lunges at the cage bars/eats seeds and nothing but/won’t go back in his cage/won’t come out of his cage/tears holes in my clothes/runs under the bed any chance he gets/flies at my head/won’t step on to my hand/won’t step off my hand/snuggles with anyone but me/makes loud noises when I’m on the phone/is afraid of every toy I put in his cage/destroys every toy in his cage/runs after feet when he’s on the ground/acts like a nutcase?”

The answer to all of these questions is the same.

He does it for the reason that every bird does everything: To get something he likes or to get away from something he hates.

Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be, assuming a hidden agenda or an unknown and unmet emotional need causes our parrots’ annoying behaviors. The most effective method to solve problems is to determine what your bird gets access to, or avoids, when they scream, bite, or dismantle your cell phone.

Realize, too, that your bird’s actions are driven by immediate gratification. When your bird does something, the result in the next one to ten seconds is what counts and is what convinces him that repeating that behavior has value.

My blue headed pionus, Pea, wants my attention. She has learned that certain behaviors, such as chewing up magazines, results in me picking her up, putting her somewhere else, and giving her something to do. She has me trained well. To stop her from making confetti, I can put the magazines away (the simple solution) or trim her wing feathers (a more drastic option that I’d like to avoid) so she can’t fly to the pile of magazines across the room.

Sometimes, though, Pea is content to sit in one place and preen or nap, with no attention from me.

Only your bird can show you what has value to him at that time.

Think of it this way. You are offered a cupcake that looks delicious. Do you eat it? If you are hungry, or love the taste of cupcakes, or do not wish to offend, the answer is yes. If you are having trouble fitting in to your clothes, or you just polished off a whole cheesecake moments before, the answer may still be yes. But if the cupcake is moldy, or half eaten, or was just fished from the garbage, it is likely the answer is no.

So it is with our parrots. Their motivation to get something or to get away from something is just as fluid as our own. That’s why understanding a spectrum of motivators, watching your bird’s reaction in the moment, and keeping a focus on your ultimate goal – to build trust above all else – should inform every interaction with your bird.

Want insight into what your bird is doing and how to change it? Don’t simply ask “why?” Instead, ask:

What is the bird doing?
To change the behavior, describe it in only a few words.

What happens right before the behavior occurs?
Those who study behavior are quick to point out that this antecedent doesn’t cause the behavior to happen, but does set the stage for the behavior to occur.

What does the bird immediately get, or get away from, as a consequence?

What can I change about the environment or (probably more importantly) my actions to alter the behavior?

Almost all birds will be messy, loud, active and interactive at some times. Problems like excessive screaming or over bonding develop when one part of a bird’s nature dominates.

Take noise. Some is to be expected. A parrot communicates to her flock mates throughout the day. She raises an alarm at any sign of danger, or asks where and how others are (“I’m OK! Are you OK?”). This “check-in” is a contact call. You may hear the call when you arrive home or when you leave the bird’s sight. Caretakers will also experience the dusk or dawn chorus acted out in their homes.

The problem arises when your parrot learns to communicate using screams alone.

A bird comes to rely on a horrible screech because we have not reacted to her more subtle sounds, but have responded to her shrieks. A response can take many forms: yelling back (“Shut up!”), covering the cage, picking the parrot up, or giving her food to quiet her. The scream becomes shorthand to communicate a wide range of needs, and the bird relies too heavily on this effective but annoying method.

Instead of resenting a parrot for extreme volume, work to restore her sounds to a balanced, healthy, tolerable level. Teach her to use a more varied and appropriate means of communicating her needs.

Two elements, used to change any behavior, are key: Ignoring the behavior and replacing it with something that the bird cannot do at the same time.

Ignoring the behavior is straightforward. Your parrot should get nothing from you when she shrieks: not a look, not a sound, not a reward (and nothing from other family members either).

To train an alternative behavior, give her attention or a treat when she is making the pleasant sound (whistling, singing, talking more quietly, making a sound that is less abrasive). Catch her being good. Praise her when she’s quiet.

Over bonding is another example of a bird out of balance. Parrots often focus on one family member, regardless of who cleans the cage or provides food and attention. The human “mate” often inadvertently encourages this behavior by stroking the bird below the neck, feeding her warm, mushy foods, snuggling with her, or allowing her access to a shoulder. Many of these action simulate mate behavior in the wild.

While a parrot may always have a favored person, there are ways to encourage relationships with other members of the family to restore balance. These people should be the only source of a parrot’s favorite treat, or can be the only means of transport to the favored one. All members of the family can engage the parrot in games, and all should encourage the parrot to accept ambient attention – hanging out in the room with family members without receiving attention from one person. Simultaneously, the favored one should understand mate behavior (regurgitation, for example) and ignore it.

A bird out of balance is probably anxious and frustrated, using the most obvious (and often annoying) means to get what she wants. By working to change these behaviors, you restore harmony to all elements of your parrot’s nature and make her a happier bird.

The Parrot Principles class last week was well attended for a Sunday afternoon during the holiday season. John Kerns was kind enough to take and share these lovely photos.

The class was held at Stahl’s Exotic Veterinary Services  (SEAVS) in Fairfax, Va.

The atrium/waiting area at SEAVS

Pea, a blue headed pionus, was our student

The building’s glass roof proved to be a distraction to Pea throughout, as geese flew by above.

Look out!

Still, she is a very calm bird, and we demonstrated the proper position for a step up.

What a good parrot!

Thanks to all who came, and to SEAVS for partnering with Phoenix Landing to spread the word about great parrot care.

Sometimes we make things harder than they need to be.

Every interaction with your bird should be directed by these Two Truths:

• Your bird is a prey animal and you are a predator.
• Your bird is tame but wild.

This macro-level approach often illuminates problems quickly.

These basic, unchanging facts will always dictate your bird’s reactions, regardless of the situation. For example, if your bird sees a hawk through the window, he is more likely to watch the predator than to take a treat from you, even it it’s his favorite.

Instead of considering the Two Truths, we may try to read our parrot’s mind looking for a cause for the trouble:  “Was he mad at me for being away last week?” “Is he jealous?” “Does he hate my new haircut?” This approach does not provide information to resolve the issue.

It is just as troublesome when we think we know the cause of the problem, regardless of what the bird is doing: “He’s just playing, he doesn’t mean to bite.” “He really likes it when I get him out of his cage, even though he struggles a little.” “He has to step up whenever I ask him. That’s what a good bird does.”

Guiding your interactions with your parrot using the Two Truths, you’ll develop a positive relationship based on trust. If your bird lunges at you, shrinks in fear, avoids you by going to a high perch, or doesn’t take what you are offering, accept these behaviors. You are living with a prey animal who is not domesticated, who is at most (except in the case of budgies and cockatiels) a few generations removed from the wild.

The Two Truths are part of your bird’s parrotness and cannot be changed. They make him challenging and fantastic, and they are the key to understanding much of what your bird does.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

It’s not just for alcoholics anymore.

Parrot caregivers face the challenges of unrealistic expectations every day. We forget parrotness: what’s inherent and unchanging about being a bird. We also forget the fundamentals — even after years of living with parrots.

The result is that we unintentionally exacerbate problem behaviors.

The Parrot Principles blog will remind us of a parrot’s nature and how best to live with these complicated and cherished companions.

What can’t we change about a parrot?

The most crucial unchanging elements of a parrot’s nature? Easy. I call them the Two Truths:

• We are predators and they are prey animals.
• A parrot is tame, but wild.

Every interaction with your bird should be guided by these two principles.

But of course, these aren’t the only constants. A parrot’s default settings include noisy, messy (poop is perpetual), social, curious, and smart. Their bodies, built for flight, are physiologically different than any other animal we keep in our home.

What can you change about a parrot?

Practically everything else.

Join me for the new Parrot Principles class

Sunday, December 11, 2011
2:00 P.M – 4:00 p.m.
Stahl’s Exotic Veterinary Services
4105 Rust Road
Fairfax VA 22030